The Subjectivity of Attractiveness or Too Bad this Coin Has No Eye Appeal

[TomB]

No doubt we have all heard people proclaim that a coin is gorgeous, a monster, a wonder coin, has superb eye appeal, etc; and there are times when these descriptions seem to be foreign to the coin in question. Obviously, with the coins listed on ebay you will notice this quite a bit, but this also happens when collectors get together. This does not mean that someone is not truthful, nor does it mean that they are wrong; it is simply a function of personal taste or aesthetics.

 

An example of this is the time that I was at a Baltimore show and met up with a forum member. He showed me a box of coins that were special to him and then I took out a "box of twenty" toned coins that I believe are truly special. I offered to take my turn and to show him what was in the box and he flatly shot me down with a retort something along the lines of him not caring for toning and not wanting to see anything that I had to share. I was surprised, but certainly not offended, and the coins stayed in the box. In fact, I believe goose3 was standing next to me and overheard the exchange while we were walking the bourse. There is also no need to discuss who the member is that did not want to see the coins as these things are personal decisions of value (time vs knowledge).

 

A more recent example happened to me last month when I went to my safe deposit box and retrieved some superbly toned coinage. I had wanted to image some of these pieces and decided to stop by a local coin shop on my way home. At the shop I ran into a woman whom I had met before and who is a hardcore Lincoln cent collector. She lusted over one of my matte proof Lincoln cents, the purple 1912 that everyone seems to like, and then she pulled out an 1890 Seated Liberty dime. She studied it with her loupe and looked at it for quite a while before uttering her opinion of the coin-

 

"It's got beautiful surfaces, too bad it has no eye appeal. This is what's holding the grade down."

 

The coin currently sits in a PCGS MS65 holder and was originally graded by PCGS in the early 1990s. The collector I had bought it from had his type coins submitted to PCGS a few years ago to get them all into the same colored holders (blue inserts) but had not had them regraded in the process. Therefore, if one believes that there has been a shift in the grade scale for certain issues then the coin should have been regraded.

 

Anyway, I just about fell over backwards when she stated that the coin had no eye appeal but then I thought about it and I guess that she is correct in that the coin has no eye appeal for her. While I cannot fathom how this coin would have no eye appeal to someone, I can manage to accept that there are folks out there that could be moved in a negative way by the coin. In my opinion, the coin she was holding in her hand had an MS67 reverse and at least an MS65 obverse. The attractive toning pattern only enhanced the coin, again in my opinion only.

 

I guess the take home message of this is that everyone's valued attributes of a coin do not have to match someone else's, even if the qualities that are held so dear seem so obviously important. Here is the coin in question, the coin in-hand has slightly richer color and is somewhat more attractive.

[michael]

pearls before swine

[Hoot]

Ah! The subjectiveness of eye appeal again rears its ugly head!!!

 

Thank goodness we're not all the same... it would make this hobby even more expensive than it is...

 

Tarnished crapola.

 

Hoot

[kryptonitecomics]

Dip it and Flip it.....man is that thing ugly

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cpm9ball]

Tom, you should know by now that you must NEVER, I REPEAT, NEVER rave about a beautiful woman to another woman. Jealousy will raise its nasty head every time.

 

Chris

[DaveG]

Golly Gee, I gues PCGS or NGC should do themselves a favor and hire this woman, who is so obviously more skilled than their current graders!

[MikeKing]

 

Thank goodness we're not all the same... it would make this hobby even more expensive than it is...

 

 

 

right on the nose Hoot. Tom, don't bother dipping it, that'll reveal all those ugly hidden contact marks, spare yourself and just give it to me, I'll take it off your hands, and we won't even mention that this ever happened!

 

Mike

[supertooth]

Tom B----Wouldn't own it if you gave it to me. Yeah, right. Oh, you know how much I love nicely toned coins. Sure is another beauty. Maybe the old lady just needed some new glasses?? Or maybe she should just stick to pennies!!! Bob [supertooth]

[IGWT]

I offered to take my turn and to show him what was in the box and he flatly shot me down with a retort something along the lines of him not caring for toning and not wanting to see anything that I had to share. I was surprised, but certainly not offended, and the coins stayed in the box.

 

I've learned a lot by listening to enthusiastic collectors share their interests and experiences. What a wasted opportunity.

 

 

. . . and who is a hardcore Lincoln cent collector.

 

We know most about what most interests us.

 

 

. . . everyone's valued attributes of a coin do not have to match someone else's

 

Amen, and think of Jules Reiver.

[chinook]

Well. I am a hardcore Lincoln collector of sorts and I find Tom's coin to be fantastic.

 

I own only one seated coin and the toning is remarkably similiar to Tom's.

 

[jtryka]

Tom, an excellent post!!! I'll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of toning, especially when it comes to paying for them! I will also admit that over the years I have come to appreciate more and more the beauty and desirability of attractive toning, particularly album type rim toning similar to the dime you show here. That coin is truly a beauty to behold even from the photos, I an only imagine how the light dances of the multi-colored surfaces when held in hand! Thanks for sharing!

 

PS-I doubt I'd ever have learned to appreciate such toning if I'd adopted the attitude of that first person in your story. There are ALWAYS new things to learn!

[jom]

That coins is hideous....send to me as soon as possible...I can fix it!

 

jom

[Bruceswar]

very nice story.... that coin is WOW for me......